


Family

by talonyth



Category: Karneval
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-04 15:22:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talonyth/pseuds/talonyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been 8 years ever since they met, and some things really change, but mostly, things are the same as always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

"Welcome back."

"Yeah."

"Is something the matter? Did anything happen?"

"Not in particular."

"Tell me."

It would always be like that. Years had passed, both were older now, more mature supposedly but they still treated each other the same way, or so was the misleading impression. Things had changed considerably since they first met, since they became friends, since they grew closer, since they fell in love with each other.

Just details, really, they didn’t matter much to other but they mattered to them.

The younger man sat down next to the blond, he really was a fine adult now, his lover was 23 years old now but he looked more mature than that, older than Yogi himself when they first met, he thought to himself and chuckled silently. Gareki wore his hair longer than he used to, his way to dress had changed too, although that was more due to work than related to personal tastes, that he had a uniform to wear when he was over at the Research Tower.

His face, though, it still showed the same traits as it used to, eyebrows wrinkled in annoyance, the corner of his mouth ever facing down as if he was pouting.

"Nah, it’s really nothing."

His voice had a deeper tone to it than before but that was hardly surprising. It sounded pleasant, though, to Yogi’s ears the sound of Gareki’s voice was the most beautiful he had ever heard, and he felt lucky that he could hear it every day.

"If it bothers you, it bothers me, too. Tell me, tell me!"

"You sound like a child."

"I always do."

"You do."

"Will you tell me now?"

A sigh escaped Gareki’s lips as he sat down next to Yogi.

"It doesn’t bother me."

"If you say that already, then it really, really bothers you. It totally does."

"You, shut your trap!"

Yogi couldn’t help but laugh. After all, sometimes Gareki still showed old traits of his. He acted more professional now, his language had changed quite a bit and he endured things for a longer time, it seemed like he wasn’t as short-tempered anymore, at least not in front of others. He still treated Yogi as always.

"You… have you ever…"

He started so quietly that the blond had difficulties to listen, especially as he was distracted by mustering his partner and being in awe that he would sit next to him like this. It wasn’t a thing he ever expected, they didn’t exactly start out on good terms. Or at least, Yogi remembered, it was quite a one-sided thing between them.

"….do you ever regret this? I mean… you know…"

"No."

Ever so shy to say it out aloud that they were actually dating for over 6 years already, Yogi could tell it was what Gareki wanted to say. That was a thing that changed tremendously, he understood Gareki much, much better than he used to, Yogi could almost read from his fae what he meant, even before he said it. It used to be so difficult for him before, yet now he wondered how it had ever been like that.

"That was fast."

"Well, yeah. Because it’s true. There won’t be a chance you’ll hear me say that I regret being with you."

"….Y-Yeah…."

He always used to yell when Yogi openly stated what he felt but it had become less and less over the years. He knew that he could never expect Gareki to speak the same way but it was already more than enough.

"What’s up with this, though? It’s not like you to fret over things like these?"

"Ah, there was just… someone at work is going to get married. And I was asked whether… I would get married, too."

"I see. Well, it’s not much of a secret that we’re living together but I would guess people don’t think we’re in that kind of relationship, after all. What did you say?"

"Nothing… I didn’t say anything at all. Didn’t feel like it."

"So how does that bring you in such a bad mood? If you want to get married, then let’s!"

Gareki turned his head around, away from Yogi, what an old habit, but the blond still managed to catch a glimpse of red.

"T-That…. was not…"

"It’s okay, I know. It’s… not really possible anyways. Guess the question should rather go the other way. Do /you/ regret being with me?"

There was a silence, but Yogi didn’t misinterpret, not anymore. He understood that it took Gareki longer to word things like these so he waited.

"…No" the simple reply was, and although it was more of a breath than a word, it was fine. It made Yogi happier than anything else would.

"It just… came to my mind that maybe you would change your mind, after all. You’re going to be 30, like a lot of the people I work with and they… all…. have… a family. And you’re here, with me, and you can’t even get married and I… ugh, I don’t know…"

"But I have a family?"

"Huh?"  
"You’re my family."

"But…"

"I don’t see why I couldn’t call you my family? Family is a word, you know. Just a word to describe a relationship. It’s not like it’s defined to be anything particular? For the longest time, Circus was my family. It still sort of is, since, you know, I’ve been raised there and all. Circus is like… my parents, and you’re like… when I get out of my house, and start living and having a new family. You get the idea?"

"…That… sounds ridiculous."

"Really? I think it sounds good. I mean, I didn’t word it as well as you could probably, I’m not as smart as you are, after all. But if you think like that, how could a place I work at, a place I wasn’t born in, be my family? It is, though. And it’s the same for you. I love you, and I want to be with you, so that makes you my family. Are you actually worried, I’m going to leave just to get married or…?"

He turned his head back but he still didn’t face Yogi. The blond did recognize his lover pouting, though. There was still something bothering him.

"…They all said it was a waste that you didn’t get a cute girl yet…"

"What?"

"Don’t play dumb, you know what I mean! Ugh… you always make me say things…"

"Well?" Yogi asked again with a smile on his face. Sometimes, rarely, but at times he enjoyed to tease Gareki a little.

"At work, people /know/ you. It’s not like you’re totally unknown. So since everyone was talking about people getting married and that bullshit, someone was like ‘Oh but Yogi, he’d look great with a cute girl, isn’t it at about time for him?’ and someone else started saying you’d make a great father and I just…. I…"

"I’d make a horrible father, if you ask me. Totally horrible. I’m all a kid myself, how am I ever going to be a dad? If I had a dad like me, I’d run away from home, probably."

He laughed to himself but he figured it was an actual issue for Gareki. He looked seriously worried and not in the mood to joke about it at all.

"No, really. Not once in my life did I ever think about kids. Sure, I like children! They are great, they are really cute, and they brighten up my day! I love working with them, which is why I love Nyanperowna so much. I can make children happy by doing such a small thing. I always keep thinking that I would’ve loved to have something such as Nyanperowna when I was younger. You know, a mascot, a… thing I could look up to, somehow. In my heart, I will probably always remain to be a child to a certain extent. Since I didn’t really get to be a child at all, I guess I just… you know, try to sort it out like this. But it’s okay! I’m happy, I like being as I am! That still means, I never thought about that kind of family. Having a wife, and children… that was never what I imagined my life to be like, not just because I’m childish but also because I work for Circus, don’t forget that."

"…I haven’t forgotten."

"I know. I’m actually pretty lucky to have you. To be honest, I never imagined having a family at all, but now I have one and I’m really happy about that. I can be with you and I don’t have to hide it, or disappear suddenly or things, you know, since we both work for Circus. It’s perfect as it is. I’m the happiest when I can be with you…. so you don’t have to worry about things like those."

Gareki kept silent, he didn’t reply anything at all but Yogi had noticed while speaking how his face changed. From surprise to embarrassment, from pain to relief, he had seen it in his face so Yogi didn’t need any words to understand. He didn’t expect Gareki to speak up, though.

"When I heard them talking… I felt horrible. I didn’t know what to think. In a way, I thought the same as they did. You, having a… /real/ family, with a lot of kids that are as dumb as you are and gluttons and idiots."

"H-Hey!"

"But at the same time, I really, really didn’t want to see that at all. I felt so selfish, like I had taken something away from you, something that… would be so important to you. I’m neither cute nor a girl, less even could you have a bunch of idiotic children with me."

"…I’m starting to feel hurt if you repeat it again…"

"You can’t marry me, either. I really started to think that you wasted your time on me. Yet I seriously don’t know what I would have done if you actually confirmed that."

"Not like you’d have to worry about that."

"No… I guess not."

"What about you, though? You’re not just going to get out of here, marrying someone and getting super smart children, are you?"

"Nah… that would be too troublesome. Ugh, brats, no thanks. Besides, I can’t think of a person who’s still sane to even take someone as me."

"Would you do it if there existed someone?"

"What, are you dumb or deaf? Perhaps both. There isn’t anyone."

"I was just asking."

"No. I wouldn’t."

"It wasn’t that difficult to reply, was it?"

"You are seriously pissing me off now."

Yogi chuckled and leaned onto Gareki’s shoulder. So many things had changed, so incredibly many, but at the same time the good things also remained.

"I really love you. I’m glad I can spend time with you like this."

"…You really don’t know when to shut up."

"I just wanted to tell you."

"Idiot."

"Are we going to watch a movie?"

"My turn to choose one. It will bore you."

"It’s okay as long as you’re here."

"You really are dumb."

"You know how they say, love makes you stupid."

"Love makes you blind! Blind! How are you even older than me!?"

"Haha, I got you to be angry! That means you’re not sulking anymore."

"I wasn’t sulking."

"You were."

"Was not."

"Yes."  
"Shut up."

"Okay."

"…I love you."

"I love you, too, Gareki."

"…Ugh I’m not used to say that at all."

"Say it more often then!"

"No!"

As Gareki got up and stomped to the TV, Yogi couldn’t stop smiling and grinning. He figured he’d get to hear that he looked goofy and silly and dumb which just made his grin grow wider. He felt blissful to have a family like this, one he never imagined to have, one he never dreamt of, one he would have laughed off if anyone told him to have yet was lucky enough to experience every day and every night, for as long as he was still alive, he hoped he had the luck to remain by the side of the only person he ever loved so dearly to call him family.

**Author's Note:**

> I love to imagine that Gareki ends up going to the Research Tower because I think it really fits him (far more than being an actual fighter), so there you go!


End file.
